Safe and clean Park and Ride service set to make a return

Canterbury City Council’s Park and Ride service is set to return early next month.

The move, which comes in response to changes in government guidelines, will kick in on Wednesday 2 September as most children go back to school and many parents return to work following relaxation of the lockdown restrictions.

The cost of the service, which runs from sites in New Dover Road, Sturry Road and Wincheap in Canterbury into the city’s bus station regularly throughout the day remains £3.50 per vehicle with up to 6 passengers.

At the same time, the temporary 50p tariff at Park and Ride sites and the £3.50 all-day rate at the Holmans Meadow, Station Road West and Castle Street multi-storey car parks in the city will come to an end.

The tariffs had been put in place to help shop workers and others park for an affordable price as the city got back on its feet after the peak of the pandemic passed and while Park and Ride was closed.

Council leader Cllr Robert Thomas said: “The return of the popular Park and Ride service is another small but very positive step towards the city centre returning to a semblance of normality.

“I know businesses in Canterbury have worked extremely hard to make shopping, eating and drinking in the city reassuringly safe and secure and we hope the return of Park and Ride will help boost footfall and their tills at an enormously difficult and challenging time.

“Encouraging people to leave their cars on the outskirts and to use Park and Ride for the remainder of their journey will continue to play a key role in our fight to improve air quality across the centre of Canterbury.”

Passengers will be asked to take a number of precautions including:

• exercising social distancing while waiting for the bus

• letting people off the bus before they get on and trying to keep a safe distance between them, the driver and other customers

• wearing a face mask for the short period they are on the bus

• sitting one person to a double seat unless you’re with a member of your household or social bubble.

• sitting diagonally to the person in the row in front and behind. You should leave the seat behind and next to them empty

• leaving the seat behind the driver free

• opening the window, if you can, to help with ventilation. 

• thoroughly washing or sanitising your hands before and after you travel – it is always best to have some sanitiser with you just in case

The terminal buildings will remain closed for the time being.

Stagecoach, which operates the service on the council’s behalf, is working hard to ensure the buses are clean and safe.

This includes at least daily interior cleaning with a government-recommended sanitiser and special attention to the items passengers come into contact with – handrails, bells, seats, poles – to make sure they are regularly and thoroughly cleaned.

Matthew Arnold, Stagecoach’s Business Development Director, said: “We’re very pleased to be asked by the council to get Park and Ride up and running again and to be able to use our extensive experience in running clean and safe services during the height of the Covid-19 crisis on these invaluable routes.”

Published: 13 August 2020